NECA news > 7″ Robocop, SDCC exclusives

April 21, 2011 | Poe

(Via NECA_Toys on Twitter)

Looks like the long-rumored 7″ Robocop from NECA will soon be a reality. I own the McFarlane version already, and I’m not sure exactly how different this one can be, but hopefully–unlike McFarlane–NECA has a whole line planned. I’d maim a clown for boxed sets of 7″-scale ED-209 and Cain/Robocop 2, but after NECA’s experience with the Balrog, I’m not sure they’re interested in doing another giant boxed figure (though the upcoming Spider Gremlin is a hopeful sign). (more…)

Faceless One on…Facebook.

April 20, 2011 | Poe

Yeah, so, here’s the Faceless One, a.k.a. Nikolas Powers. It’s not stated on the bio, but I assume Danger’s his middle name. I color-corrected the images from the original post while wondering why Mattel didn’t do the same.

An interesting thing about the Faceless One is how similar he is to the Dormant Form Scarabus (and, of course, suffers a bit from the comparison, however much you take into account MOTUC’s consciously retro style).

I’m a bit more excited about the Faceless One than I was about Chief Carnivus, when it comes to the 200X-specific characters, but only because I like the design more.

Bastards of the Universe > “Stand-in”

April 18, 2011 | googum


Ah, Vikor: This seems like a good use of a $30 figure. It was that, or freeze him in a block of ice to wake up in the future…

Before working on this one, I re-read a ton of old Conan comics, mostly Savage Sword of Conan, and watched Conan the Barbarian again. The prophecy about Conan becoming king comes up, many, many times. Sometimes, it would be a red herring: Conan would seemingly win a kingdom, only to find it’s a land not worth having, or one that only recognizes queens, or would marry him off to a too-young princess. In some stories, Conan acts like he believes the prophecy is a stone-cold lock (which he should, having heard it so often) and in others he treats it as a bad joke. I’m trying to remember a story, possibly an R.E. Howard one, with a slightly older Conan talking about becoming a king almost like it was his retirement plan. If anyone remembers that one, let me know.

We won’t be using a certain set next time, just because I don’t have one!

Poe Ghostal, the Minimate

April 18, 2011 | Poe

Waaaaaay back in early February I teased you with this photo, which then went long unexplained. Well, the time has come to reveal just what that was!

Meet Poe the Minimate!

Forged in the fires of Minimatefactory.com, this incredibly handsome action figure is the work of toysmith Luke Porter. Here’s what Luke had to say about the process of creating this masterpiece:

The figure was made with a standard Minimate base figure with decals for the face, chest, shins, and forearm bands. The staff is a combination of a Lego antenna and the Stargirl Minimate’s cosmic staff. The hat is from The Spirit Minimate with the hair removed and the brim widened using Fixit Sculpt. The shoulder piece was also sculpted using Fixit Sculpt, and the cape is modified from an existing cape using a big sharp hobby knife. Fixit Sculpt is my favorite sculpting clay – it is a two part epoxy that is very workable, and yet very strong. You get about an hour of working time with it, and 12 hours later is it hard enough to be sanded and painted. For paint I used Citadel paints because they have the best consistency and color mixing. I water down my paints with a little bit of water and use multiple coats in order to get a smoother surface that is free of brush strokes. After coating the figure with clear coat, I add the final details with an ultra fine sharpie permanent marker.

I have several tutorials on Minimate decal design, painting, and sculpting here at the Minimate Factory: http://minimatefactory.com/blog/?page_id=285

Thanks to Luke for this amazing custom! Be sure to visit Luke’s site for all your Minimate needs.

Ask Mattel > Answers for mid-April

April 16, 2011 | Poe

1.) Zach asks: Over the past three years, the DCU figures have seen a 50-80% price increase, with little to no increase in quality or value. This is almost to the point of MOTUC prices, minus the shipping, and those figures arguably have better quality and more accessories. Going forward, will there be anything added to these figures, besides a little useless pin, to justify this massive increase?

At this point we are fighting to keep the figures at $14.99.  Highly articulated collector figures are very expensive to make and the cost of labor and raw goods continues to rise. We will do all we can to maintain the price point without sacrificing quality, but there are no plans to plus them up further at this point.

2.) Valo487 asks: I’m glad to see the Horde getting fleshed out a bit, but it seems like the rest of the Horde as well as the Snake Men are more unique sculpts. Can you give us a rough idea of when we’ll see the next Snake Man or Horde member? (more…)